The Abandoned: Flowers and Sky Hearts

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Flowers and Sky Hearts - Guest Heart Thursday

One can find many wild flowers growing on the grounds of The Abandoned. This is a Thimbleberry blossom. Here you can see a petal in the shape of a heart.

Last week, when Sissy and I walked the overgrown lane to the abandoned mega church, I chanced to look upward. I caught this heart in the sky. Appropriately--the heart seems to have eyes. And they seem to be looking right at the camera....

Join Clytie for more wonderful heart shots from everywhere, on Guest Heart Thursday.

NOTE: If you intend to visit The Abandoned, be sure to get permission from the owners first. If you do not have permission you could be arrested for trespassing.

1 comment:

Clytie said...: Ooooh sissie! I love your thimbleberry heart and cloud heart! I had no idea you were taking HEART pictures! Very beautiful!; June 24, 2010 at 7:20 PM

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The Abandoned

Years ago, I dedicated this blog to The Abandoned, a huge complex of abandoned buildings in rural Oregon.

Surrounded by wetlands and old growth timber, The Callahan Center was built in the 1970's by the State of Oregon as a rehabilitation center for people recovering from injuries on the job.

In 1992, the property was bought by a mega church. However, the Living Enrichment Center closed in 2004, amidst financial scandal and the property was abandoned.

The buildings stood empty for many years. Over that span the property was vandalized and looted. Yet the beauty of its rare architecture shone through the shambles of abuse and disrepair.

In the summer of 2013, the complex was completely demolished. We were all sad to see the buildings go, but because of trespassers and vandals, it was necessary to take them down.

The area where The Abandoned once stood is filled with $500,000 mushroom houses (homes built so fast they pop up like mushrooms) built on postage stamp lots. There are sidewalks and tall lamps where I once watched the foxes of the field leaping above the grass, hunting rodents.

The surrounding woodlands still survive. It is my prayer the wetlands and forests with their pristine creeks, native trees and flowers, as well as the wildlife which shelter there, will be protected.